In the computer software marketing and distribution industry, it is advantageous to make computer software available for use that reflects the language and culture of the intended users. A locale source file is a computer resource file typically made available by a developer of a software application to assist in accomplishing this. A locale source file may include a combination of specifications required to configure a software application program for a particular geographic and cultural market. These specifications typically include a language specification to determine and control linguistic manipulation of character strings within the application program. In addition specifications for countries, regions and territories (collectively referred to herein as “country”) define cultural conventions that may vary with languages, cultures or across countries. An example of a cultural convention is a date format identifying in which order the numerals representing day, month and year appear. Other configuration preferences, such as those used to specify mail settings or favorite icons are known in the art, but are typically not included in locale source files but may be included in other forms of personalization support.
Locale source files are usually processed into a form that can be readily used by an application program. Compilation of a source form of a locale file is one typical means of producing an object that can be accessed by an application program needing the information provided by the locale file.
Ensuring computer application program processing of information according to local cultural and geographical preferences relies on the availability of a locale object for a given combination of language and country. In order to make a locale object available there is a need to have a number of ready-made locale objects or locale source files ready to be compiled. Creating locale source files is typically tedious work requiring significant time and effort on the part of skilled programmers. Compiling objects in anticipation of use also takes time and effort as well as consuming computing resources. Locale objects that have been created but not used or are used infrequently waste computing resources and programmer time. Further locale objects themselves cannot be created until the necessary locale source files on which they are based have been built.
It is therefore desirable to have an easier more efficient manner of producing locale source files for use in a computer.